Inspired by the work of BoBrady at NMH's Custom Figures, I wanted to bring Jada's F1 Mach 5 closer to its cartoon appearance. I was, however, willing to let a few details slide in the name of realism and/or personal preference. For example: the cartoon model had the exhaust pipes terminating at the body, as if there was a filler panel between the pipes and the fairing. I preferred Jada's way of handling the pipes, by having them actually go under the fairing. Screen accurate? No. Realistic? Yes. Conversely, Jada's wheels are nice but woefully out of place on a vintage racer. The screen-used full disk wheels with retaining bolts are much better.

In the end, I removed two of the exhaust pipes, changed the angle of the two remaining ones to fit the hole better, added an engine (a leftover "top half," just barely visible through the fairing around the pipes), added full disk wheels (modified from an Italeri trailer kit), replaced the roll bar, repainted the interior bucket a darker red, painted the steering wheel, detailed the dashboard, and added mirrors and a fuel cap. I may go back and address the rondels, but overall I'm pretty happy with the upgraded F1.